A Conversation with Andrew Hupert, Professor of International Negotiation and Founder of US-China Forum
Perhaps the largest impediment to successful cross-cultural business negotiation between the US and China stems from a lack of communication, whether in the form of candid two-way dialogue or in the ability to access information across borders, languages and time zones. While seasoned international business professionals gain acumen through their hands-on experience (and their mistakes), MBA students and budding entrepreneurs who are new to the increasingly competitive cross-cultural playing field struggle to find practical knowledge with real world applicability. Andrew Hupert, a professor of international negotiation for New York University at Shanghai’s East China Normal recognized this gap in business literature and the university classroom. Instead of merely venting, he took action with the launch of US-China Forum which is, as he describes it, a “no-risk laboratory in which to learn about negotiations with REAL international counter-parties.” I linked up with Mr. Hupert- who is also the author of two must-read China business blogs, China Solved and Chinese Negotiation- about the need and the audience that inspired US-China Forum as well as the planned evolution of this innovative learning platform beyond Beta. To learn more about Andrew Hupert, US-China business negotiation and the US-China Forum, read on…
What initially inspired you to launch US-China Forum and what relationship does it have to China Solved?
The US-China Forum has a relationship to China Solved and Chinese Negotiation; it’s all part of the same package of building a business branch between the US and China. China Solved is directed toward the international community doing business in China and Chinese Negotiation is targeted more toward Americans that are seeking entry into China or negotiating deals in China. I’m an educator- I teach international negotiation for New York University at Shanghai’s East China Normal. I’ve found that it’s very difficult to teach college-aged students and MBAs cross-culture business and trade because they lack business experience. So ultimately, the goal for US-China Forum is to create an online platform for negotiation simulation where small teams from different countries can take on the roll of a business unit- for instance, a multinational or an American entrepreneurial company trying to enter China.
Part of my inspiration came from Chinese bulletin boards and chat groups where Chinese students are talking to one another about these topics, but there’s no Western participation at all. They tend to just go around in circles and aren’t really improving. Then, the American students entering China tend to come in with their own preconceived notions about culture. They think that they are being very open-minded but [in reality], they are just patiently waiting for the Chinese students to act exactly the way that they do. These two groups really do want to engage in a cross-cultural dialogue, but there is a structural impediment. With US-China Forum, I’m trying to create a structured environment where they can at least get a look at how the other side sees the world. One of the primary missions of US-China Forum is to help people understand just how big the world is, just how broad the playing field is, and to give them a sense about “the other guy” so that they can ask the right questions.
Who is your target audience?
My target audience is US and China students interested in cross-cultural trade. I’m reaching out to university business professors to incorporate US-China Forum into their lesson plans. Right now, I am focusing on the structured discussion forum where I bring up topics and encourage users to interact with each other through comments and I’ll be introducing more functionality as far as letting the participants speak directly to each other as I get critical mass. I have a group of consultants, professors and experienced business professionals who can take on the role of moderating negotiation simulations on US-China Forum through interactive case studies, where all sides of the trade are represented by participants.
It is challenging getting Chinese students involved on any level; they are very curious and interested, but they are also a little bit shy. So, one of the challenges I’ve had in the classroom is that, while the Chinese students are too quiet, the American students are too chatty; the American voices sometimes have the habit of drowning out the Chinese voices.
I’m finding less interest from the US community at this point- probably because there’s not critical mass yet- but the Chinese side is jumping at this. The American side seems to be skewing a little bit older- they are already working with China or in many cases, looking for a job [in China]. That’s an interesting demographic to me and it might be something that I encourage for Americans who are preparing to enter the Chinese job market. But, I want to maintain a focus on university-aged participants- especially MBAs, Juniors and Seniors enrolled in college business programs- and the role play component of US-China Forum is primarily designed for that age group.
Are the role play questions focused on foreign businesses coming in to China?
I see a lot of business entry questions and a lot of the questions that I used in my classroom in Shanghai concerned US-China joint ventures that are changing- either encountering problems or growing. I talk a lot about US managers dealing with Chinese managers, either in terms of new direct investment or an existing relationship. In the future, one of the scenarios that I will need to start building for is [one concerning] Chinese managers entering the US market. A year ago, we didn’t think about that. It would not have been a scenario that I’d have looked at. Now, it’s become a very hot topic but I need to see a few more actual cases.
What technologies will be implemented to support US-China Forum?
Ultimately, I’d like to enable it with video, chat, mobile and instant messaging. A lot of it is dependent on bandwidth. I want to make it as flexible as possible, but I don’t want to knock out people that aren’t sitting on fast connections. In China, this is a big issue. We don’t have access to YouTube here and sometimes university connections aren’t that fast. We’re also dealing with a time difference, which is a realistic business issue and something I’m also tackling. How do you handle a twelve hour time difference between New York and Shanghai or Chicago and Beijing? But, that’s something that real-life negotiators and business people have to deal with all the time.
As far as technology goes, I’d like to add as many bells and whistles as possible to US-China Forum and make it realistic. One of the outcomes of US-China Forum that will be interesting to the business communities is seeing how people connect. What are the most organic ways that US and China business people connect? I’m very curious about how this younger demographic is going to handle it. If someone’s waking up early or staying up late to make a phone call- just like we’re doing now- I think that is one of the challenges of doing cross-cultural trade. I want to see if the younger, more tech-savvy demographic finds a different way to handle that challenge.
There are also other differences in the way that people use technology when comparing the US and China. In China, mobile technology is much more common. In the US, there is still a tendency to rely on emails, phone calls and groups like LinkedIn whereas in China, it’s more about online chat and mobile technology. They are not as email-centric as the American side.
I’ve been working with Carsten Ullrich, a Ph.D. from Germany who is focused on the IT-side of education at Jiao Tong University. He and his wife and colleague, Kerstin Borau, who is also at Jiao Tong, are collaborating with me on how to bring some of their classes and resources to bear.
How are you handling the language barrier on US-China Forum?
Interesting question. Aside from technology, the other issue that I’m currently grappling with is the language difference. Some people have suggested that I add a Chinese version of the site and while that’s something I’m looking into, I’m afraid that there’s a danger of segregating participants into two different communities- those who speak English and those who speak Chinese- which will [stifle interaction]. At the moment, I’m using English as an international medium and down the road, I’d like to offer translation assistance. If there are Chinese students who are concerned about their English level, at this point they can run their discussion through me or one of the interns to help them.
I also need to think about incorporating other cultures and languages as well, as I’ve been getting a lot of interest from other countries. I’d originally envisioned this as a two-way dialogue focused on the US-China market, but one of the things that I’ll have to consider is the [incorporation of other groups globally]. How am I going to deal with Europe, India and ultimately Japan, who are now being neglected? But, my primary focus is the US-China trade relationship, so I’m going to leave that structure as is for the short-term. Ultimately, I’m going to have to question how I will incorporate other cultures into the scenario. This is a very realistic issue- Westerners in China deal with it all the time. It’s not so much about a New York investor coming to Beijing to apply for a license; it’s now an American group dealing with a Taiwanese group and a Korean group as they enter China while simultaneously answering inquiries from India.
So, the same questions that I’m forced to confront in setting up US-China Forum are what other multinational businesses are also running into on a day-to-day basis.
So, is US-China Forum your primary focus now?
My primary focus is teaching US-China negotiation and I see US-China Forum as an extension of that; I’m focused on bringing my classes online. I’m now looking for professors in the US who would like to incorporate US-China Forum in their curriculum either short-term or long-term and I will be able to accommodate them on the Chinese side. One of the things that I will be doing is matchmaking between Chinese and American business classes- facilitating interaction and discussion there.
I’d like to get more participation on the grassroots level. It’s fairly easy to get people to take a look at the site, but what I really need now is for people to register and participate. That being said, progress is definitely being made. People have been making very constructive comments and through that feedback it’s become clear that there’s a need for this [platform]. The current cross-culture business infrastructure is set up for older people who are already actively participating and I’ve found that there is less out there for university students and recent grads. There’s a gap in the literature on US-China business right now: How do you approach younger people with limited business experience? Coming into US-China trade with no business experience at all can actually be a benefit because there’s a blank slate- they don’t have any predispositions. But, it can also be very intimidating for the students- they don’t really have a good sense about WOFEs or joint ventures. So, one of the things that I’ve tried to do is bring in a primer-level background for smart people who don’t have business experience but who want to participate in a cross-cultural discussion.
Andrew Hupert is a New York University Adjunct Professor of International Negotiation at Shanghai’s East China Normal University, Founder of US-China Forum, and blog author of China Solved and Chinese Negotiation. To learn more about Mr. Hupert’s professional background, visit his LinkedIn profile. If you’re a business student, professional or educator interested in US-China cross cultural negotiation, be sure to register and participate on US-China Forum! Hope to see you there…
Recent Comments